Land special group advocates compensation mechanism

The Land Supply Task Force yesterday attended the Country Parks and Marine Parks Committee meeting and proposed to use the compensation mechanism to develop the border areas of the country parks. Only members of the Committee questioned that in the event of land shortage, it would be difficult to compensate the land with ecological value.

The Chairman of the Task Force, Mr Wong Wai-fai, the Deputy Chairman, Mr Wong Ching-yan, and the Committee, Mr Hui Hing, attended the Country Parks and Marine Parks Committee meeting yesterday to brief them on the progress of the land supply debate and to consult the Committee. As mentioned in the Consultation Paper, a compensatory mechanism can be set up for the development of the border areas of country parks. The area zoned for development will be compensated for by the same area and land with higher ecological value.

Park Committee members: difficult compensation

However, the Country Parks Committee member, Mr Chan Ka-shing, questioned the current shortage of land supply in Hong Kong and how the Government can compensate for more ecologically valuable land. Another member, Wen Zhisen, said that if there is a region with high ecological value, it is necessary in principle to be included in the “Scientific Science Value Location” (SSSI) plan or country park, rather than retaining it as a transaction.

Another member, Mr Lau Wah-wai, also said that one of the borders of the country parks is a buffer zone. It has considerable ecological value. If it is used for housing construction, it will set a bad precedent and development will gradually move to country parks. The “core” position extends.

In response to the statutory requirements, the development of country parks is in the public interest. It can only be used for public housing or residential care homes. The above compensation mechanism is more publicly mentioned. It has not been finalized. However, he suggested that Honghualing may be the site of compensation.

As reported, the government has already envisaged a model for public-private partnerships to develop agricultural land. Huang Yuanhui stressed that it is not clear about the source of the news, but stressed that there has been no discussion within the group. As for whether the Land and Construction Advisory Committee is suitable for an independent agency responsible for public-private partnerships, Huang Yuanhui said that it should be left to the government for further research.